Part 45 (1/2)

Jake grins. ”Yeah.”

I laugh as Anne rolls her eyes at his less than enthusiastic response.

We reach the house and step into the blue haze. The familiar smell of weed overcomes the damp odour and I edge around the drunk girl asleep on a pile of coats on the floor. Along the cracked tiled hallway, the kitchen door is open and crowded with people. I wave at Fiona and a group of people I've spent the last couple of years studying with.

”Beer?” asks Jake and pulls a can from his plastic bag.

”Thanks.” I open the can and deliberate whether to go into the lounge room. I want to catch up with friends I haven't seen for weeks, but doubt we'd hold a conversation over the music volume in there.

”Fleur!” Fiona calls from the kitchen and waves back. I'm about to walk towards her when I'm knocked into, hard, from behind.

Two girls, one who throws an apology at me on the way past, head into the lounge. I step to one side and another three or four appear and I'm shoved aside by the group.

”Excuse me!” I call.

I'm ignored by everybody apart from a straggler. The blonde haired girl with heavily made up eyes and an enviable piercing collection stops and grins stupidly, bottle of designer cider in her hand.

”Sorry! We're just excited!”

First year. I guess she never went to many parties before her student days; this isn't exactly wild. ”Right.”

”Are you a fan?” She looks me up and down. Compared to her blue and white striped leggings and black tank top, my short floral skirt and black leggings topped off with a plain blue s.h.i.+rt is smart attire.

”A fan of what?”

”Ruby Riot. The twins are here.” Her eyes sparkle beneath the black kohl.

Ah, right. Ruby Riot fan girls. Great. UCL, like many universities, has its fair share of wannabe bands and followers, although Ruby Riot took a step from obscure to popular and were last seen supporting Blue Phoenix on tour. The guys already had an att.i.tude, especially the guitarist, Jax, and now have collected a group of hangers-on who follow them around campus. With the new influx of first year girls, it looks like their entourage is about to grow. I have faint memories of watching the band play a couple of years back, but they're not my kind of music.

The twins, Will and Nate, major in history too and I've seen them around in lectures the last couple of years but never shared cla.s.ses with them. They disappeared when Ruby Riot began their ascent to stardom and were hardly on campus. Who knows? I don't follow their story. Maybe it's not quite time for the group to 'give up the day job'. I'm surprised the band is back; surely supporting Blue Phoenix equals the big time?

Still, they have fame on campus and I expect the Campbell brothers brought their newfound status with them.

I spot Will and Nate holding court at one end of the large lounge room. I've known twins before, but these guys are impossible to tell apart. If I was a twin, I'd dress differently, wear my hair in a different style, try to carve my own image to indicate the fact my face matched somebody else wasn't what defined me. Not this pair; their identical appearance is carefully cultivated.

There's no denying Will and Nate Campbell are stars. Their confident stance and self-a.s.sured aura pull girls into their orbit. Helps they're attractive, though I doubt it would matter now if they were average or not because fame is an aphrodisiac. The pair are tall, wiry with the right amount of muscle, and dressed in black denim, combat boots with distressed band tees. A twins could've stepped out of a rocker fas.h.i.+on shoot. Their dark brown hair is spiked at the front and cut short around the sides, full mouths, and just the right amount of scruff on their faces. Definitely poster boys.

Not my type. Give me an intelligent guy with a hint of vulnerability any day. Nice hair, clean, attractive, and not covered in ink and metal.

Like Ethan.

Not that he ever notices me. Still, if I had the courage to speak to Ethan that would help. Once, drunk, I attempted to introduce myself, but I'm unsure he noticed. Call him my mission for this year. Ethan is good friends with the group who live here; maybe he's around. I'll begin this year the way I mean to go on: standing up for what I want and making it happen. Ethan will be good start.

An hour later, and the beer I brought with me and left in the kitchen is almost gone. I examine the bottles in case there's an unopened one.

”You always ignore me. You're rude.”

I turn to the owner of the voice. Will. Or Nate. Who knows? Or cares. Declining to respond, I throw him a dirty look and head into the hallway.

”What's your name?” he calls, presumably at me. I ignore him. Ethan's around, I spotted him in the lounge and he wasn't with a girl. I need to talk to him before I lose the courage.

The mystery twin catches up and stands between me and the door. ”Tell me your name.”

I look into his green eyes, at his dilated pupils. Drunk. Or high. Probably both. ”Fleur.” I step to one side to pa.s.s and he matches me.

”I'm Will.”

”h.e.l.lo, Will. Excuse me.” I set my sights on Ethan. What does Will want?

”Talk to me.”

I switch my look to him unable to hide my surprise. ”Why?”

”You're cute.” He casts a look along the length of my body before looking back and biting on his lip piercing.

Oh, good G.o.d. I point over his shoulder where Nate stands, with girls surrounding him. ”Try one of those girls.”

”Nah, too easy.”

I scowl. ”That's rude.”

”Hey, not my fault chicks throw themselves at me.”

”Excuse me while I vomit!”

His drunken smile grows. ”Truth.”

I attempt to pa.s.s him again, but a wall of pseudo-rock star blocks my way. ”Fleur. That's French, right? Flower. What kind of flower are you?” He leans forward and his nose practically touches my neck, the heavy smell of alcohol on his breath. ”You don't smell flowery. Fruity.”

I step back, rubbing my neck where his breath touched my skin. ”Will, I have no idea why you've decided to talk to me, but please go away.”

I sidestep and again he matches me. ”You're really pretty.”

”You're high. Otherwise, you'd get the hint I don't want to talk to you.”

Over Will's shoulder, I spot Ethan and we catch each other's eye. I smile and Ethan frowns slightly. I know why: the burbling idiot blocking my way.

The one who now has hold of my hair and is tucking a strand behind my ear.

Stunned, I grab Will's hand. He twists mine into his. ”I've seen you before. Wanted to talk to you.”

Will's fingers surround mine, the metal from his rings digging into my skin. I drag my hand away. ”Leave me alone. This is hara.s.sment,” I hiss. ”Touch me again and I'll slap you.”

Will's eyes register shock. ”I've seen you loads of times and you never noticed me.”